What happens to old washing machines, cars, and snowmobiles in the
Arctic? What goes up must come down!

Canada's
spectacular Arctic makes up over 40% of our landmass and is home to
more than 100,000 Canadians. It is an essential part of our national
identity and an area of growing importance internationally, it’s also
more affected by rapid climate change than any other part of Canada.
The Arctic is home to the Inuit, who have lived there for thousands of
years, and to remarkable species, like polar bears and narwhal, many
of which live nowhere else on the planet.

Each year, tonnes of vehicles and other metal-based products go up to
the Canadian North but are never removed, leaving gasoline, mercury,
batteries, methanol, antifreeze, tires and ozone depleting
refrigerants on the Tundra.

This waste is releasing toxins into the land and water, affecting the
fragile Arctic eco-system as well as human health.
The waste is rarely recycled due to the complicated and costly process
of de-polluting, dismantling and shipping.

“We recognize that Arctic Canada is one of the most challenging
places to implement a recycling program because of the distance from
major recycling facilities. So we wanted to prove a point and say,
if we can do it here, we can do it anywhere.”

In the hamlet of Arviat, old vehicles sit rusting beside homes and in
the community’s metal dump. And in Gjoa Haven, old machinery from the
nearby DEW line (old radar stations in the far northern Arctic) that
operated in the 1950s and 1960s, has proven extremely difficult for
the community to remove. This past summer we removed a significant
amount of waste from both communities, but there is still so much more
to be done to clean up our precious Arctic Tundra - we need
your help!

It takes $120,000 to clean up one remote northern community

$120,000 is no small amount of money, but it will make a significant
difference to one more community in remote northern Canada. This is
how much money it costs to fill and ship 6 large sea containers full
of recyclable materials from the tundra.

With your support, these materials will be shipped south via sea lift
to their final destination in Quebec. The de-polluted metal will then
be recycled and turned into usable tools and other secondary items and
the pollutants will be properly managed to ensure as little impact to
the environment as possible.

Here are the estimated costs of removing different items - which can
you help with?

Recycling the de-polluted Vehicle Body $4,000

De-polluting the vehicle (i.e. removing fluids) $1,250

Canister of Ozone Depleting Substances $1,000

Barrel of Pollutants $500

Bucket of Mercury Switches $150

Bucket of Wheel Weights $80

Tire $40

Vehicle Battery $20

This environmental health initiative will not only help to protect
Northern water quality, but will improve local capacity for ongoing
pollution prevention, and protect our stunning Arctic tundra.

Together we can take back the tundra.#TundraTakeback

Perks are all sourced in the North, helping to support artists and
business across Northern communities in Canada.

Summerhill Impact is a not-for-profit organization, focused on
creating and facilitating public engagement programs related to
positive environmental and health impacts.

Take Back the Tundra Community

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you've helped raise a total of .

How it works
To appear in our community, simply make a contribution to our campaign
and show your name, or inspire a contribution from someone else by sharing your personal link (below).
The more contributions you make or inspire, the higher you'll go and the more the campaign will benefit.

Canada's North is uniquely beautiful, that's why you are helping to preserve it. With this perk, you'll get some beautiful framed images to remind you of your wonderful contribution to Arctic preservation.

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